The Blue Germ

ell in the hall rang sharply. I picked up the receiver

t Dr. H

es

g Cross Station at once? The

acci

y the boat-train. The police are detaining him as a sus

. I'll com

ntered, and found a strange scene being enacted. On one side of a table stood Sarakoff, very flushed, with shining eyes, clasping a black bag tightly to his breast. On the other si

nd we'll believe

ared at him

once. It was Lord Alberan, t

rang out sharply. He took out a

knew he was an anarchist the moment I set eyes on him at Dover. There

f, with great vehemence. "

"There is enough dynamite in that bag to blow the whole o

shadows by the door. Sarako

would come. Get me out o

akoff had travelled up in the same compartment from Dover, and that Sarakoff's strange restlessness and excit

e satisfied," added the station-maste

" I asked. "It wo

cited professor. He put the bag on the tab

ill open it, since my friend Dr.

nging out his arms. "We may be so muc

nce for a moment, only broken by hurrying footsteps on the p

and saw a wooden rack, fitted in the interior, containing six

light. It was half full of a semi-transparent jelly-like mass, faintly blue in colour. The detective, the policeman and the station official clustered round, their faces tur

asily detected by the blue bye-product it gives off while growing." He twisted the tube slowly round. "It is quite an interesting cultur

an cleared

nfounded. However, I did my duty to my country by having you examine

ocked the bag. Lord Alberan marc

. The policeman squared his shoulders and hitched

out on to the brilliantly-lit platform. "Pyocyaneus," he muttered in my ear; "pyocyaneus, indeed!

asked. "What have

sizzling arc-lamp o

ix tubes of the Sarakoff-Harden bacillus. Yes, I have added your n

Sarakoff-Harden b

p and smiled. He certainly did look like an anarchist at

apprehension. Under an archway near by I saw Lord Alberan looking

eally have--?" He continued to nod. "Then we can t

us, brushing against my should

edly away. Our manner was furtive. Once I looked back and saw Alberan talking, with excited gestures, to the detective. They were both looki

I lay back, my

ow," said Sarakoff at last. "Hav

ible." I controlled myself and sat up. "I fixed on

claimed. "Bir

supply come

t and strange an impression on the course of the world's history, first reached England. It had lain under the very no

th us the precious tubes of the Sarakoff-Harden bacillus. Throughout the long journey we scarce

bacillus was ultra-microscopical-that is, it could not be seen, even with the highest power, under t